Give

Why give?

We don’t tend to talk very much about money at St Brandon’s. It can be off-putting for visitors, and we never want people to feel under pressure.However, giving is an important part of Christian discipleship, and we believe in being a generous church, giving cheerfully to the needs around us. Simply put, giving is part of our community life together.

Our Stewardship of your giving

Good stewardship of people’s giving is a high priority. Our Treasurer, Geoff Knott (see Contacts), manages our accounting records and produces the Annual Accounts Reports in January each year. Following independent examination, the accounts are presented at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, normally held in April. Through regular reports from the Treasurer during the year, the Parochial Church Council monitors the financial position of the church.

Regular giving by Standing Order

Standing Order is the simplest option for giving. Income is regular and consistent and so helps with budgeting and reduces administration for our Treasurer. If you wish to give this way, please contact our Treasurer, Geoff Knott (see Contacts).

Cheques and cash

Gifts can be placed in one of the envelopes at the back of the church or sent to the Treasurer. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Brancepeth PCC‘.

You can also donate using your mobile phone – see panel on right.

What happens to the money?

Your giving allows us to cover the general running costs of the heating, lighting and security of the church, as well as the costs of weekly services.Also, vitally, as part of the Church of England we contribute through Parish Share to the overall costs of ministry in the Diocese, some £10 million a year. This pays for clergy and other staff working across 300 churches, seeking to serve 1.5 million people, and supporting 56 Church Schools. Many parishes are extremely poor; we have – potentially –greater resources than most, and if we could be more generous it would help our Diocese address its current annual deficit of around £750,000.Generosity here at St Brandon’s helps to support the presence of worshipping communities in every area, the ability to offer baptisms, weddings and funerals, and schools where Christian faith shapes the ethos.Another very significant and expensive responsibility of Brancepeth Parochial Church Council is the structural maintenance of our beautiful Grade 1 Listed church building./td>

Our income apart from giving

Following the restoration of St Brandon’s after the 1998 fire we have aimed to widen the use of the church building beyond the regular services of worship. Our volunteer Administrator hires the building for various musical events, quiet days and meetings. By seeking cost savings, for example, on gas and electricity and otherwise keeping costs as low as we can and by obtaining income from church hire and wedding fees we have minimised the need to draw on our reserves. However, we do rely mainly on generosity of giving.

The majority of our income is from regular giving by members of the congregation, friends and supporters of St Brandon’s. If you have visited our beautiful church or perhaps attended a baptism or wedding and would like to make a one-off donation you can text STBC00 £x to 70070 (between £1 and £10 (whole pounds only), for example, STBC00 £5. Your donation will be much appreciated.